Malcolm Ball, aged 73, who was serving a sentence for child sex offences, died at HMP Stafford on 30 January 2023 following a hunger strike. Ball was sentenced in 2017 to seven years and six months in prison for his crimes. During his hunger strike, he reportedly begged to be ‘left alone to die in peace’. The circumstances surrounding his death have drawn attention to the conditions and care provided to inmates undertaking such protests within the prison system.